Wendie Malick To Present Lifetime Achievementaward To Cloris Leachman At 2013 Genii Awards

LOS ANGELES - April 17, 2013 - PRLog -- Wendie Malick, the Emmy nominated co-star of the hit TV Land series “Hot in Cleveland” will present a Lifetime Achievement Award to Cloris Leachman, the Oscar and multiple Emmy winning actor at the 56th annual Genii Awards presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Southern California on April 23.  Malick, who is best known as the acerbic Nina Van Horn on the long running sitcom “Just Shoot Me,” together with her “Hot in Cleveland” co-stars, recently played host to a “Mary Tyler Moore Show” cast reunion with Leachman, Moore, and fellow thespians Valerie Harper, Betty White and Georgia Engel in an episode of “Hot in Cleveland” scheduled to air this summer. This marked the first time in over 30 years that the quintet from “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” appeared together on a sitcom.

“To say that Cloris Leachman is an original would be an understatement,” says Malick.  “I consider myself lucky to have worked with her numerous times and lived to talk about it.  With a career that spans six decades, including theater, movies, and television, she truly is one woman who’s done it all. Although she may be best known as a comedian, she is a fierce, dramatic actress as well and never shies away from getting to the guts of a character. I am honored that the Alliance for Women In Media invited me to present Cloris this prestigious award.”

This year, in addition to Leachman, AWM SoCal will honor the following women:

•   Excellence in Television – Entertainment Tonight co-host Nancy O’Dell
•   Excellence in New Media – WhatTheFlicka.com creator/founder Felicity Huffman
•   Excellence in Management – EVP Programming MundoFox Adriana Ibañez
•   Excellence in Media Communications – CBS Entertainment Communications Director of Publicity Cindy Marshall
•   Excellence in Advertising – Zenith Media SVP of Local Activation Marti Grimsley
•   Inspiration Award – Actress/Author Alison Sweeney
•   Excellence in Radio – NPR’s Morning Edition Host Renee Montagne

“We are so excited and honored to have Wendie Malick join us this year” states current AWM SoCal President Erica Olsen.   “Our honorees and presenters are chosen because of their pioneering efforts, dedicated leadership, commitment to quality and excellence, and their community contributions.  Something all our scholarship recipients should aspire to achieve in their careers.”

The Genii Awards, first presented in 1958, celebrates the outstanding contributions of women in Radio, Television, New Media and Advertising. Past honorees include Betty White, Florence Henderson, Rita Moreno, Ellen Degeneres, Camryn Manheim, Heather Locklear, Jamie Lee Curtis, Candice Bergen, Lucille Ball, Carole Black, Anne Sweeney, Whoopi Goldberg and many others. The 56th Annual Genii Awards will be held on Tuesday, April 23 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. Mark Steines, host of the Hallmark Channel’s “Home and Family” will emcee. A silent auction and cocktail reception will lead into the dinner and award presentations. For ticket and sponsorship information, go to http://awmsocal.org.

About AWM SoCal:

AWM SoCal's Genii Awards, named after the Southern California Chapter Founder, Jeanne Gray McDonald, celebrates the outstanding accomplishments of women in the media who have shown tremendous leadership, a commitment to promote progress and create change and dedication to the community. The gala benefits AWM SoCal's scholarship program, which provides financial assistance to promising college students who are aiming for careers in the media and entertainment industries.

http://awmsocal.org

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